Werdum: My belt is the real one
Fabricio Werdum on Cain Velasquez: “I think my belt is the real one because I fought a lot of guys for it. Cain Velasquez hasn’t fought in about two years.”
One of the most valued members of the page, Card, shared this story by Hunter Homistek with The UG. UFC interim heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has evolved from a submission specialist to one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division, with back to back wins over noted strikers Mark Hunt and Travis Browne.
Cain Velasquez remains the UFC heavyweight champion but has not fought since October of 2013, and Werdum, despite holding the Interim title, feels his belt more legit, and that Cain’s pulling out of UFC 180 in Nov was a calculated strategy!
“When Dana White called me and said, ‘You’re not fighting Cain Velasquez now,’ I didn’t like that,” said Werdum. “But I said, ‘OK, Dana. You put another opponent in, and I’ll be good. No problem.’ I went in there, [and] I just did my job. I showed everyone when I knocked out Mark Hunt. Everybody was saying, ‘Oh, maybe Werdum will submit him,’ or ‘Maybe Mark Hunt will knock him out,’ but nobody saw that coming.
“This is my opinion: Cain Velasquez didn’t fight Nov. 15 because he knew I was there [in Mexico] a long time and I was ready for that fight. I had a good rhythm with my career. He had an injury in the knee, but I think it was a strategy.”
“I think my belt is the real one because I fought a lot of guys for it. Cain Velasquez hasn’t fought in about two years. On June 13, I’ll show who is the real champion. I want this match with Cain Velasquez. I want to shock the world again.”
“In 2008 (when Werdum was released by the UFC following a loss to JDS), I wasn’t a 100 percent professional guy. Now, I’m 100 percent professional. I train every day. I’ve trained a lot for this moment. But in 2008, I wasn’t serious with training. It’s so different now
“I’m not waiting for Cain Velasquez. I just go. I’ll try to knock him down or maybe submit him. The best one is that maybe I’ll take him down. Guys don’t believe that [I can do that]. But maybe I’ll take down Cain Velasquez this time.
“I want to see what happens when I put Cain Velasquez’s back on the ground. Let’s see him with his back on the ground. Cain Velasquez is good when he’s on the top, when he can control the rhythm. But I want to see him on the ground.”
“I have a strategy for this moment. I have good cardio, I’m strong now, I lift weights, I have good training. I’m ready for this. Everybody wants to see this fight—there are two belts, and I think my belt is the real one. Why would Dana White give me this belt? I’m there. It’s not my fault when on Nov. 15, 2014, I’m there, but Cain Velasquez doesn’t show up. I’m there, but he’s not there. My belt is the real one. I’ll show that on June 13 when I shock the world again.”
“I think he’ll have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. I don’t have any pressure. He has it all. He’s an American guy, but he has family from Mexico. He wanted to fight here. He has all the pressure.”
“You want to watch this fight because the guys say the biggest fight of the year was Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, but I think that’s not the best fight of the year. The best fight of the year is coming up now on June 13.
“This is the best fight of the year.”
gif courtesy of UGer StrikingMMA